Jacob’s Children

31 When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved,(A) he enabled her to conceive,(B) but Rachel remained childless. 32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son.(C) She named him Reuben,[a](D) for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery.(E) Surely my husband will love me now.”

33 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the Lord heard that I am not loved,(F) he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.[b](G)

34 Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me,(H) because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi.[c](I)

35 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah.[d](J) Then she stopped having children.(K)

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 29:32 Reuben sounds like the Hebrew for he has seen my misery; the name means see, a son.
  2. Genesis 29:33 Simeon probably means one who hears.
  3. Genesis 29:34 Levi sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for attached.
  4. Genesis 29:35 Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for praise.

30 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children,(A) she became jealous of her sister.(B) So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”

Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God,(C) who has kept you from having children?”(D)

Then she said, “Here is Bilhah,(E) my servant.(F) Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.”(G)

So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife.(H) Jacob slept with her,(I) and she became pregnant and bore him a son. Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me;(J) he has listened to my plea and given me a son.”(K) Because of this she named him Dan.[a](L)

Rachel’s servant Bilhah(M) conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. Then Rachel said, “I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.”(N) So she named him Naphtali.[b](O)

When Leah(P) saw that she had stopped having children,(Q) she took her servant Zilpah(R) and gave her to Jacob as a wife.(S) 10 Leah’s servant Zilpah(T) bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, “What good fortune!”[c] So she named him Gad.[d](U)

12 Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 Then Leah said, “How happy I am! The women will call me(V) happy.”(W) So she named him Asher.[e](X)

14 During wheat harvest,(Y) Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants,(Z) which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

15 But she said to her, “Wasn’t it enough(AA) that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?”

“Very well,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”(AB)

16 So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You must sleep with me,” she said. “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.”(AC) So he slept with her that night.

17 God listened to Leah,(AD) and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.”(AE) So she named him Issachar.[f](AF)

19 Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 Then Leah said, “God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor,(AG) because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.[g](AH)

21 Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.(AI)

22 Then God remembered Rachel;(AJ) he listened to her(AK) and enabled her to conceive.(AL) 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son(AM) and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.”(AN) 24 She named him Joseph,[h](AO) and said, “May the Lord add to me another son.”(AP)

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 30:6 Dan here means he has vindicated.
  2. Genesis 30:8 Naphtali means my struggle.
  3. Genesis 30:11 Or “A troop is coming!”
  4. Genesis 30:11 Gad can mean good fortune or a troop.
  5. Genesis 30:13 Asher means happy.
  6. Genesis 30:18 Issachar sounds like the Hebrew for reward.
  7. Genesis 30:20 Zebulun probably means honor.
  8. Genesis 30:24 Joseph means may he add.

18 As she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named her son Ben-Oni.[a](A) But his father named him Benjamin.[b](B)

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 35:18 Ben-Oni means son of my trouble.
  2. Genesis 35:18 Benjamin means son of my right hand.

22 While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine(A) Bilhah,(B) and Israel heard of it.

Jacob had twelve sons:

23 The sons of Leah:(C)

Reuben the firstborn(D) of Jacob,

Simeon, Levi, Judah,(E) Issachar and Zebulun.(F)

24 The sons of Rachel:

Joseph(G) and Benjamin.(H)

25 The sons of Rachel’s servant Bilhah:(I)

Dan and Naphtali.(J)

26 The sons of Leah’s servant Zilpah:(K)

Gad(L) and Asher.(M)

These were the sons of Jacob,(N) who were born to him in Paddan Aram.(O)

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These are the names of the sons of Israel(A) (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt:

Reuben the firstborn(B) of Jacob.

The sons of Reuben:(C)

Hanok, Pallu,(D) Hezron and Karmi.(E)

10 The sons of Simeon:(F)

Jemuel,(G) Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar(H) and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.

11 The sons of Levi:(I)

Gershon,(J) Kohath(K) and Merari.(L)

12 The sons of Judah:(M)

Er,(N) Onan,(O) Shelah, Perez(P) and Zerah(Q) (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan).(R)

The sons of Perez:(S)

Hezron and Hamul.(T)

13 The sons of Issachar:(U)

Tola, Puah,[a](V) Jashub[b](W) and Shimron.

14 The sons of Zebulun:(X)

Sered, Elon and Jahleel.

15 These were the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram,[c](Y) besides his daughter Dinah.(Z) These sons and daughters of his were thirty-three in all.

16 The sons of Gad:(AA)

Zephon,[d](AB) Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.

17 The sons of Asher:(AC)

Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah.

Their sister was Serah.

The sons of Beriah:

Heber and Malkiel.

18 These were the children born to Jacob by Zilpah,(AD) whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah(AE)—sixteen in all.

19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel:(AF)

Joseph and Benjamin.(AG) 20 In Egypt, Manasseh(AH) and Ephraim(AI) were born to Joseph(AJ) by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.[e](AK)

21 The sons of Benjamin:(AL)

Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard.(AM)

22 These were the sons of Rachel(AN) who were born to Jacob—fourteen in all.

23 The son of Dan:(AO)

Hushim.(AP)

24 The sons of Naphtali:(AQ)

Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem.

25 These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah,(AR) whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel(AS)—seven in all.

26 All those who went to Egypt with Jacob—those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons’ wives—numbered sixty-six persons.(AT) 27 With the two sons[f] who had been born to Joseph in Egypt,(AU) the members of Jacob’s family, which went to Egypt, were seventy[g] in all.(AV)

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 46:13 Samaritan Pentateuch and Syriac (see also 1 Chron. 7:1); Masoretic Text Puvah
  2. Genesis 46:13 Samaritan Pentateuch and some Septuagint manuscripts (see also Num. 26:24 and 1 Chron. 7:1); Masoretic Text Iob
  3. Genesis 46:15 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
  4. Genesis 46:16 Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint (see also Num. 26:15); Masoretic Text Ziphion
  5. Genesis 46:20 That is, Heliopolis
  6. Genesis 46:27 Hebrew; Septuagint the nine children
  7. Genesis 46:27 Hebrew (see also Exodus 1:5 and note); Septuagint (see also Acts 7:14) seventy-five

These are the names of the sons of Israel(A) (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt:

Reuben the firstborn(B) of Jacob.

The sons of Reuben:(C)

Hanok, Pallu,(D) Hezron and Karmi.(E)

10 The sons of Simeon:(F)

Jemuel,(G) Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar(H) and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.

11 The sons of Levi:(I)

Gershon,(J) Kohath(K) and Merari.(L)

12 The sons of Judah:(M)

Er,(N) Onan,(O) Shelah, Perez(P) and Zerah(Q) (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan).(R)

The sons of Perez:(S)

Hezron and Hamul.(T)

13 The sons of Issachar:(U)

Tola, Puah,[a](V) Jashub[b](W) and Shimron.

14 The sons of Zebulun:(X)

Sered, Elon and Jahleel.

15 These were the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram,[c](Y) besides his daughter Dinah.(Z) These sons and daughters of his were thirty-three in all.

16 The sons of Gad:(AA)

Zephon,[d](AB) Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.

17 The sons of Asher:(AC)

Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah.

Their sister was Serah.

The sons of Beriah:

Heber and Malkiel.

18 These were the children born to Jacob by Zilpah,(AD) whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah(AE)—sixteen in all.

19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel:(AF)

Joseph and Benjamin.(AG) 20 In Egypt, Manasseh(AH) and Ephraim(AI) were born to Joseph(AJ) by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.[e](AK)

21 The sons of Benjamin:(AL)

Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard.(AM)

22 These were the sons of Rachel(AN) who were born to Jacob—fourteen in all.

23 The son of Dan:(AO)

Hushim.(AP)

24 The sons of Naphtali:(AQ)

Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem.

25 These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah,(AR) whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel(AS)—seven in all.

26 All those who went to Egypt with Jacob—those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons’ wives—numbered sixty-six persons.(AT) 27 With the two sons[f] who had been born to Joseph in Egypt,(AU) the members of Jacob’s family, which went to Egypt, were seventy[g] in all.(AV)

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 46:13 Samaritan Pentateuch and Syriac (see also 1 Chron. 7:1); Masoretic Text Puvah
  2. Genesis 46:13 Samaritan Pentateuch and some Septuagint manuscripts (see also Num. 26:24 and 1 Chron. 7:1); Masoretic Text Iob
  3. Genesis 46:15 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
  4. Genesis 46:16 Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint (see also Num. 26:15); Masoretic Text Ziphion
  5. Genesis 46:20 That is, Heliopolis
  6. Genesis 46:27 Hebrew; Septuagint the nine children
  7. Genesis 46:27 Hebrew (see also Exodus 1:5 and note); Septuagint (see also Acts 7:14) seventy-five

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